Day Of The Deity
by Father Hulk
Summary: The city of Townsville has become a place of worship, as the wonderful St. Eva Church has taken residence there. But nobody, not even the Powerpuff Girls, can be prepared for the cataclysm that is rapidly approaching. R/R Please! *COMPLETED!*
1. Our Story Opens

Day Of The Deity

by Father Hulk

OPENING WORDS: Hello, my children, my faithful followers! Welcome to my newest project, a Powerpuff Girls/Breath of Fire 2 crossover fic! I'm trying earnestly on this one, so let's pray for the best. Butchie-Luvah, if you're reading, watch carefully… this is how a _real_ PPG fic should go! :-P Here we go!

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Sugar… Spice… And Everything Nice… These were the ingredients chosen to create the perfect little girls! But Professor Utonium accidentally added an extra ingredient to the concoction… CHEMICAL X! Thus the Powerpuff Girls were born! Using their ultra super powers, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup have dedicated their lives to fighting crime, and the forces of evil!

****

DAY OF THE DEITY

Written by Father Hulk

Directed by Father Manson and Supervised by Father Hulk

Script by Bishop Henry

"The city of Townsville! …Is being attacked by Mojo Jojo!!!"

The large, iron robot stomped through the city streets. Mojo Jojo, the deformed monkey mastermind, sat inside, whistling to himself. Suddenly, there were three flashes of light, and then the Powerpuff girls had surrounded him.

"Stop right there, Mojo!" Buttercup shouted.

"You're not going any further!" Blossom said.

Mojo raised his eyebrows. "What are you talking about? I, Mojo Jojo, am on my way to church!"

"Church?" The three of them said in unison.

"Yes, church! It's Sunday, don't forget!"

"Oh, you guys," Bubbles squeaked, "He's right! We have to get ready for church too!"

"That's right," Mojo said with a grin. "Hurry along now, you don't want to be late!"

In three brilliant streaks, the girls flew back to their home and ran over to the professor, who was out cold on the couch.

"Professor!" Bubbles whispered, shaking him. "Professor, wake up!"

"Uhhh…" Professor Utonium moaned, sitting up slowly. "My head… Ugh… I was watching Saturday Night Live, and I had a bit to drink…"

"C'mon, professor, it's time for church!"

"Oh, that's right! Come on, let's hurry!"

After the girls had gotten into their best Sunday dresses, and Professor Utonium had been properly sobered, they happily walked out of their house and began their journey to the St. Eva Church, which had just recently moved to Townsville. Though they were new, everyone seemed to find truth to the teachings of St. Eva, and even now, almost every family in Townsville could be seen heading to the tall church next to the mayor's office.

Father Hulk, the head priest, met all the people at the front door, and greeted them as they entered. "Welcome, welcome, everyone, to God's home! Ah, if it isn't my three favorite little super heroes!" He said with an elderly smile.

"We're the _only_ three little super heroes in this whole town." Buttercup reminded him.

"Heh, heh, you're right, absolutely right! Well, come along now, girls, the service will begin in a few minutes. Top of the morning, professor!"

"Uhh… if only every morning could have a top…"

Once the girls were inside, they nibbled on the butter cookies and milk that the church provided.

"Wow, even a lot of the bad guys are here," Bubbles said. Indeed, Mojo Jojo, the Gangreen Gang, and even the Ameoba Boys could be seen hanging around.

"I guess they all found truth in the teachings of St. Eva," Blossom said.

"Girls! Oh girls!" Called a voice.

"Hi, Miss Keane!" They called back, grinning.

"It's so nice to see you here!" Their teacher said.

"Same here, teach." Said Buttercup.

"Girls, look who decided to come today!"

The girls were shocked when they saw the girl standing by Miss Keane's feet.

"Princess????"

"Yes, I figured I _may_ as well come," the snotty girl replied, "I mean after all, daddy gives _loads_ of money to the St. Eva church every year anyway. But I'm afraid I still hate you three."

Blossom growled. "And _I'm_ afraid that you're a…"

"What's this, what's this I hear? Tortured by the things you fear?" asked an icy, sinister voice behind her.

Blossom sighed. "Not now, Him!"

"I'm sorry," the red demon sneered, "But once in a while, I just _have_ to say that!"

Meanwhile, the Ameoba Boys were having a rather hard time with the cookies.

"Daaah, how are we supposed to hold em? We don't got no hands!"

"Oh for crying out loud," Buttercup said, flying over. "Here!" She grabbed a handful and stuffed them right down the leader's mouth. The leader looked down and saw the cookies sitting in his stomach.

"Duuuh, thanks!"

"Boy some bad guys sure are stupid, huh Blossom?" Bubbles asked her sister. No response. "Blossom? Blossom!"

"Who is _he?_" Blossom asked softly, pointing to a long-haired boy in the corner.

"Oh, he's Ray," said Buttercup. "He's kinda cute, isn't he?"

__

"KINDA???"

"Blossom, go talk to him!" Bubbles suggested.

"Noooo! I'm too scared!"

"Ah, you're just a sissy." Buttercup jeered.

Blossom turned. "Nobody… calls me a sissy."

"Oh yeah? Prove it!"

"Okay, I will!" And with that, she nervously approached Ray.

"Hi," he said when she came up to him. "What's your name?"

"Blossom," she told him.

"My name's Ray." There was an awkward pause, and then Ray smiled sheepishly and said, "You're pretty."

Blossom blushed the same color as her hair ribbon. "Thank you. You're sweet."

Before Ray could respond, a hand began patting him on the shoulder. Blossom looked up to see Father Hulk standing there.

"Well, well, Blossom, I see you've become friendly with my son!"

"Your son?" Blossom asked, astonished.

"Well, my adopted son, anyhow. I found him as a baby, and I took him in." He looked down. "How am I doing, boy? Am I a good father?"

"Yes, Pa."

Hulk chuckled. "Heh, heh. Well, come along, everyone. It's time for services to begin."


	2. The Sermon

The Sermon

At length, everyone was seated in the large chapel. The other priests, Manson and Henry, took their places on either side of the altar, and then Father Hulk began to speak.

"Today, I will tell you the history of the demons that threaten our society and plague our earth." He cleared his throat. "Many, many millennia ago, there was a great city known as Evrai. It sat on an island 300 miles north of where Antarctica now is. This city was the birthplace of the St. Eva religion. It was a grand city, with large, magnificent houses, streets shining with gold, and the Grand Church Of St. Eva, the holiest of places to our believers, sat to the north of it all. Our founder dwelt there, along with the seven others that founded the religion.

"One day, demons arose from the depths of the earth and attacked Evrai, toppling houses and capturing the souls of people. A great battle was fought, and our people prevailed! Evrai was restored and the demons were banished."

"This story is really interesting." Bubbles said.

"Shh…" whispered the professor. "Let's listen."

Hulk continued. "However, the demons never really died. Though banished from Evrai, they continued to live on, to stew in their anger. Those demons are still around today, though their forms have changed somewhat. They live on in the forms of terrorist leaders, racists, and so on. We, as the heads of the St. Eva church, do not approve of nor do we allow demons into our organization. We believe in the pureness of the heart, and the goodness of the soul. That is why…" he turned and gestured to the large, stained-glass portrait of St. Eva behind him, "You must pray to our St. Eva to help you lead a good life, and that the demons may once and for all be vanquished!"

Blossom's eyes drifted up to the picture. St. Eva was surely an intimidating figure. He had a billowing black robe, and a wild grey beard, holding a staff while raising his arms to the sky. The very presence of the portrait filled Blossom with the will to pray, and to lead a good life.

"And so let us remember that demons are evil, and that St. Eva's light will shine brighter the stronger we pray! May He eventually bring peace to the world! And now, everyone recite the blessing of St. Eva after me…"

The massive congregation spoke as one.

__

St. Eva and his children will pass time and place…

The voices of our prayers will break through darkness…

Abandon selfishness and just pray…

Become a part of the limitless love of our God…

Hope makes the heart peaceful…

Abandon hatred.

Through the breaking darkness, we can see our God.

(A/N: I don't remember all of it! Shame on me as a Father!)

__

AMEN!!!

And that was that. The service was over.

"Hey, Blossom!" Ray called, waving.

"Hi, Ray." Blossom replied, smiling.

"My dad is a good preacher, huh?"

"Yup, he sure is." Answered Buttercup.

"It fills me with love," Bubbles swooned.

"Hey, Blossom, wanna sit with me during Sunday School?" Ray asked.

Blossom was delighted. "I'd love to!"

"Speaking of which," Father Hulk said, coming over, "It's time for exactly that. Come along, children."

"Sunday School is fun," Ray assured her. He would have followed his father right then, but he found himself enraptured with Blossom's gaze.

Blossom played dumb. "What are you staring at? Come on!"

"Right." Ray said, and the pair of them walked behind Hulk with the rest of the children, but Blossom was in her own world, ecstatic that a boy would look at her like that.


	3. Sunday School

Sunday School

"So children," Father Hulk began, after all the children were seated in a large circle in the rear of the church, "Today we are going to talk about forgiveness, and how our God forgives all."

Bubbles raised her hand.

"Go ahead, my child," Hulk told her.

"Um, you mean that even if someone was really bad and killed lots of people and didn't listen to his mommy, St. Eva would still forgive him?"

"Oh yes. Father Evans does not believe in holding a feeling of hatred towards anybody, no matter how evil they are. He makes sure they are sorry for their deeds, and lets them into paradise for eternity."

There was a murmuring among the group.

"Ah, that's stupid." Buttercup sneered. "I'm sure there'd be tons of people unworthy of forgiveness. Why, if I was St. Eva, when those people got up to me, I'd beat the crap out of them!"

Hulk scratched his chin as he regarded Buttercup. "So you say that St. Eva is wrong when he forgives evil-doers?"

"Yeah!" Buttercup replied, pumping her fist. "There's no way people like terrorists and stuff would actually be _sorry_ for doing what they did."

Hulk smiled, and rose from his seat. "All right, children, it's time for a demonstration. We need to show Buttercup here the true heart of God."

A silence fell.

"What is he gonna do?" Bubbles whispered. Blossom shrugged.

Hulk escorted Buttercup to the center of the circle, and removed a vase from a nearby table. "Young lady, I want you to smash this vase."

"What?" Buttercup asked, confused.

"That's right. And we'll say that each fragment it breaks into is five-thousand lives lost. We'll make one of them yours, and you shall see how St. Eva will treat you."

Buttercup smirked. "Get real, old man." But she took the vase, and threw it to the floor, the crash echoing off the wall, the glass shivering into pieces.

Suddenly, darkness surrounded Buttercup. There was nobody else around. She saw, felt, and heard nothing. And then, a huge pair of red, glowing eyes opened before her. They glared at the frightened girl, piercing into her very soul.

"You…" a voice rasped. "You come before me now! How dare you!"

"Who are you?" Buttercup asked, her voice quavering.

"What do you mean, who am I?" The voice shouted. "I am your God! And you are a traitor!" A cold but strong hand seized her by the shirt and held her up. A light shone down from up above, illuminating the broken vase miles and miles below. "Look at what you have done!" the voice snarled. "You have broken the laws of my people to maintain peace! How dare you come before me all innocent now!"

The hand drew Buttercup very close to those horrible, evil red eyes, and shook her. Buttercup was crying. 

"You don't deserve to reside here with me!" The voice screamed. "You should be damned forever!!!" After a short silence, the grip on her softened, and the flaming red eyes turned soft and blue. "But I damn nobody. I see you are repentant now." Buttercup felt another hand embrace her. "You are forgiven for your sins… you are safe now…my child." 

Buttercup praised St. Eva's name as she lay there, sobbing, in her God's arms.

Light surrounded her again, and she looked up to see that she was being held by Father Hulk, and the rest of the group was staring at her in shocked silence.

"It's alright, child," Hulk soothed. "You're back with us now."

Buttercup shook as she walked back to her sisters. "Oh my friggin God!" she whispered. "That was intense! Did you see that?"

"There was nothing to see, really." Blossom said. "You zoned out for like 10 minutes, then you threw yourself into Hulk's arms and cried."

"But I was with God!" Buttercup insisted. "I was with St. Eva!"

"Boys and girls," Hulk said, standing in the middle of the circle, "This is the power of God. He forgives all that come to him, and he hates nobody. May you have a peaceful afternoon, and may St. Eva's light shine upon you always and forever."

Thus, Sunday School ended.


	4. Palo, Puty, and Patti

Patti, Puty, and Palo

(A/N: Sorry for the delay, but I come back strong with two action packed chapters! And each one has a different definition of 'action.' Hohohohoho… ~M.J.)

"Well, church was fun today," said Blossom as they walked with the Professor out of the chapel.

"Speak for yourself," Buttercup mumbled, still shaken. "You didn't have to go before God today."

"Buttercup, it was only an illusion," Bubbles said. "It was nothing to be scared of."

"Yeah? Well maybe _you'd _like to…"

"Girls, look!" Professor Utonium exclaimed, pointing to the sky. A huge shadow swooped over the street and disappeared.

"What was that?" Blossom wondered. Suddenly, another shadow passed before them, and then another. The girls looked up, and gasped. Three large, winged, half-woman, half-beast creatures were circling above Townsville!

Many other citizens noticed and ran, while other people stared in awe.

Soon, the creatures stopped circling, and split up in different directions. The girls watched in horror as the nearest one flew into a building, toppling it, then breathed fire on a number of cars in the street.

"Those things are destroying Townsville!" Buttercup declared.

"Girls… let's get 'em!" Blossom shouted.

"_YOU_ won't be getting anybody," said a golden but sinister female voice. Within an instant, all 3 creatures were hovering in front of our heroes.

"Who are you?" Blossom asked, cracking her knuckles.

"I'm Palo," the front-most one said, throwing her long, purple hair behind her head. "These are my sisters, Puty and Patti."

"Hiiii…" the others said.

Palo continued. "Don't even think that three little rugrats such as yourselves are going to stop us!"

Bubbles giggled.

"What's so funny?" Patti snarled.

Bubbles giggled even more. "Look behind you."

Patti spun, and Buttercup was waiting with her fist outstretched. Patti went flying to the pavement.

Palo turned on the girls, glaring. "So you think you're kind of cute, don't you?"

"No, we know so." Said Buttercup.

"Okay, girls, get them!" Palo said.

The three beasts charged. Blossom caught the first one that reached her by the neck, punched it twice, and prepared to kick her away, but unfortunately, she bit Blossom's arm. Blossom cried out and dropped the creature.

Buttercup flew at Puty, who dodged. Buttercup whirled and charged again, and again Puty dodged. Puty then dropped upon Buttercup and slashed her with her clawed feet.

"You'll pay for that," Buttercup growled, and she unleashed a barrage of punches that left Puty embedded in the sidewalk.

"ROOOOOAR!"

"Oh no, you guys, look!" Bubbles cried, pointing to a green, vertical-mouthed monster on the horizon.

"It's Steve, from _Heroes to Zeros!"_ Blossom said in disbelief. "What's he doing here? He's not even attacking, he's just standing there…" But she didn't have any more time to think, as Patti dove at her, slashing. Blossom had had enough. She grabbed Patti's head and flew towards the ground, body slamming the monster into the concrete. Bubbles had dealt with Palo in a similar fashion.

"You…fools!" Palo croaked. "Destroying us… won't… do a thing… for you! There's… so… many more monsters… waiting for you… where we come from…"

"Where do you come from?" Blossom demanded.

"Heh, heh, heh…"

"Speak! Do you come from Monster Isle?"

"Ha, ha, ha, ha! Ughh…" No more words were uttered as Patti, Palo, and Puty vanished into nothingness. It was at this time that Steve sloshed over. In a flash, the girls were there to meet him.

"Haven't you learned your lesson?" Buttercup asked.

Steve held up his hands. "Girls, girls, I'm not here to fight," he said. "I just came here because I heard there was some confusion."

"Huh?"

"Well, it's video game time on Monster Isle," Steve explained, "And nobody misses that. Nobody. But we heard Townsville was under attack, so I came to investigate. And I'll tell you right now, those monsters are _not_ from Monster Isle."

"Do you know where they _are_ from?" Bubbles asked.

Steve shifted uneasily. "Yes, but we don't like to talk about it."

"Please tell us, Steve." Blossom encouraged.

"Well… I think they come from… down there." He pointed down at the ground.

"No way!" Buttercup exclaimed.

"Way. Well, I should go." He started walking towards the sea. Suddenly, he pushed a building over. "I didn't want to go home empty-handed," he explained, and he was gone."

"Girls, that was quite a display of fighting," the Mayor said when the girls had landed in front of the church. "It was easy, too!"

"Easy? You call that _easy?_" Buttercup asked.

"It was easy for me! I didn't have to call you!"

"He's right, Blossom. You were great." Said Ray, who was standing next to the mayor. "I'm so proud of you."

Blossom blushed furiously. "Thank you, Ray."

"And you made it just in time for lunch," said the Professor. "Come on, I'll make my famous grilled cheese!"

"All right!" Bubbles and Buttercup cried, and they immediately zipped home.

"Are you coming, Blossom?" Utonium asked, turning.

"I'll be along in a minute." She said.

"Okay." And he hurried after the other two, leaving Blossom and Ray standing alone by the church. 

There was an awkward silence. Ray looked down, fidgeting. Blossom rocked back on her heels for a moment, then found the courage to speak.

"So Ray… where's your father?"

"Oh… he's inside still. Having some kind of meeting with Manson and Henry."

"He's a great preacher," Blossom said with a smile.

"I know. He always finds a way to bring a smile to someone's face. Although _you're_ always smiling."

Blossom blushed again. Then the church doors opened and Father Hulk emerged.

"Ah, there you are, boy!" he said. "Well, well, Blossom, it looks like my son has taking a shining to you."

Now it was Ray's turn to blush.

Hulk chuckled. "It's all right, my son. I tell you, why don't you spend the day at our house, my young friend?"

Blossom was delighted. "You mean it?"

Hulk smiled. "Sure! Why not? This way, you and Ray can get acquainted and, oh yes… if you think that your father's grilled cheese is famous, you're in for a surprise."

"All right!"

"Come along, then." Hulk said, walking down the path. Blossom and Ray followed, and Blossom's breath caught in her chest as Ray slipped his hand into hers.


	5. At The House Of Father Hulk

At The House Of Father Hulk

"Wow," Blossom whispered as Ray led her into his home. The house was grand inside. Stained-glass windows ran along the wall on one side, and on the other, portraits and sculptures of St. Eva were hanging. The floors were done in golden-colored tile, and the living room was large, with a huge couch and big-screen TV.

"You have such a nice house, Ray," Blossom said.

"It's not much," Hulk said, "But it suits us."

"Come on, I'll show you my room!" Ray exclaimed, and he tugged at Blossom's hand as he walked towards the stairs.

"I'll call you when lunch is ready!" Hulk called after them.

Ray's room featured street signs hanging on the walls, although video game posters covered many of them. There were two lava lamps stationed on top of a small entertainment center on the right-most wall, along with a few different video game consoles.

"Awesome room!" Blossom said.

"Yeah… Want to play video games?"

"Sure!"

And so they started a fast-paced game of _Super Mario Kart 64._

"Have you ever played this before?" Ray asked.

"Nah," Blossom said with a shrug. And so the game began.

Blossom quickly managed to get in front of Ray's car.

"Hey! How'd you do that?" he cried, jerking his control stick to the left to try to pass her.

"Beginner's luck, I guess." She said with a grin.

Finally, he got in front of her again, and they came to the part where the cars would make a big leap from a cliff to the ground below. Blossom's car lined up parallel with his during the jump, and she bumped him off to the side, causing him to fall in the ocean.

"You can't do that!" he said as Lakitu plopped him back on the course in 8th place.

"Well, I just did." She said with a malicious smile.

Ray narrowed his eyes. "Alright you, gimme that controller!" He dove for Blossom's joystick.

"Ahh!" she said, and she laughed hysterically as Ray tried to wrestle it away from her. "You'll never get it! Never!"

"We'll just see!" He began tickling her, and she laughed harder and dropped the joystick.

"Give that back!" She tackled him, and wrenched the device from his grip, and then pressed his head down into the ground. "Say you're sorry!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he said over his laughter. "Let me up, please! I can't breathe!"

Blossom eased up, and Ray rolled over, smiling up at her. "Guess what? You still lost!"

Indeed, the screen was flashing "TIME UP!", meaning that they had both lost the race.

"Why you…!" Blossom tackled him again, and they rolled across the floor, giggling their toushies off. Finally, Blossom sat up, out of breath but grinning. "Sorry I had to kick your ass so badly," she said.

Ray smiled. "That's all right. I rather enjoyed it. It's not every day I get to wrestle with a girl like you."

They found themselves staring into each other's eyes once again, and Blossom was looking at Ray as if a divine light was surrounding him.

"Ray…" she whispered, lifting a hand to his face, "I…"

"Oh chillllldren!" called Hulk from downstairs, "Lunchtime!"

"Oh my God, Mister Hulk, this grilled cheese is _awesome!" _ Blossom said.

"Call me Max," said Hulk, who had changed from his Sunday robes into a pair of jeans with maroon suspenders. "And, I'm glad you like it. I learned it from _my_ father."

"Who was your father?" Blossom asked. "Was he a priest too?"

"My daddy's family's had priests going back thousands of years." Ray told her.

"Yes, the very first Hulk was born in Evrai itslef, God's home." Hulk said, looking wistful. "I wish I could have seen the city… but alas, it sank to the bottom of the sea!"

There were a few minutes of silence, and then Blossom said, "Tell us a story, Father… I mean, Max."

"A story?"

"Yeah. A story about a long time ago."

Hulk rubbed his chin. "Humm… all right. Tell me, Blossom, do you know why there are bees in the warm weather?"

Blossom shook her head.

"Well, back in the days when our God still walked on this earth, he had many daughters, as beautiful as a summer's day. His youngest daughter, Marin, loved to run through the meadows and collect flowers, and because she wanted the flowers to never die, she blessed them every year so that they would return the next."

"Awesome!"

"But one day, during the late months of the year, a demon appeared, and…"

"One of the demons you talked about this morning?" Blossom interrupted.

"Yes, one of the same. This demon snatched Marin and squeezed her, attempting to drain her life energy from her body. Marin knew that this demon meant to kill her, and so, in a valiant act, Marin exploded her body into millions of pieces, and in doing so, destroyed the demon."

"But then didn't that mean that she died?" Blossom inquired.

"No, not really. The pureness of Marin's heart caused each tiny fragment to lift from the ground, and they became tiny creatures, each blessed with Marin's spirit. And so they continue doing her work, blessing the flowers so that they return each year. And they disappear in the winter, because that is the time that Marin was captured, and they don't like the memory. And that, my dear, is the story of bees."

"Wow…" Blossom whispered.

After a short silence, Ray said, "You want to go watch a movie?"

"Sure."

"Come on, we'll watch _Back To The Future._"

And so Blossom and Ray sat on the soft couch, watching the film on the big-screen TV. Hulk was busy in his study, so the two were alone.

"I still can't believe what you did," Blossom said, out of nowhere.

"Huh?" Ray asked, surprised.

"Before. With the video game. You cheated so bad."

"Yeah, and how did you deal with it? You picked a fight!"

"It was fun," she said with a soft giggle. "I kicked your butt!"

"I know. Come on, let's watch."

After a few more minutes, Blossom noticed in surprise that Ray had his arm around her.

He noticed her reaction. "I'm sorry… should I stop?"

"No, no… it's all right." She said, leaning back. "It feels nice."

Another brief silence passed, and then Ray spoke.

"I wish I could have put my arm around you at church, but I don't think dad would have been too pleased."

Blossom's heart jumped. A boy actually wanted to put his arm around her on the first day they met? She remained silent.

"Blossom," Ray said softly, "You're trembling."

She stared into his deep, blue eyes. "Ray… I think… I think I…"

Ray put a finger over her lips. "It's okay. I know what you mean to say."

"And do you feel…?"

He shushed her again and smiled. "Yes, Blossom. I do."

She threw her arms around him and cried. "You're the first boy to ever tell me that, Ray."

"Why are you crying?"

"I don't know. I've never been in love before. It must be so hard."

Ray lifted her head up. "No, I don't think it is. I think it's probably very easy. As easy as this…"

They kissed. A short kiss, but enough to send Blossom into heaven to be with St. Eva.

"Ray…?" Blossom said, afterwards.

"Yes?"

"Can you show me how easy it is again? I'm afraid I'll forget."

"Okay."

Hulk stood in the entryway to the living room, rubbing his chin as he watched. "Hmm…" he muttered, and left.


	6. The Door

The Door

"Well look who finally came home!" Buttercup jeered as Blossom walked in the door. "Where have _you_ been?"

"I was at Ray's house," she said, stars in her eyes.

"Did you have a good time?" Professor Utonium asked.

Blossom sighed. "Awesome."

Bubbles scratched her head, then whispered something to Buttercup, who nodded.

"What are you two whispering about?" Blossom asked apprehensively.

"Nothing!" Buttercup said, putting her hands behind her back. "Nothing at all."

"Come on, girls, time for bed." Said the professor. "You've got school tomorrow."

"Okay."

At length, the three sisters were nestled comfortably in their bed. Blossom put her hands behind her head and sighed contentedly, remembering the fantastic day she had. Suddenly, a voice whispered in the darkness.

"Blossom's in loooove… Blossom's in loooove…"

"And what if I am?" Blossom said back, not moving at all nor raising her voice. "You're just jealous."

Buttercup snorted. "Yeah, okay. There are much cuter boys than him."

"Okay, next time we're at church, point one out to me. Knowing you, you'd probably go out with Mojo Jojo."

Blossom felt a kick to her leg. "That's sick," Buttercup growled. "Now go to sleep."

"Gladly. At least _I'll_ have pleasant dreams. I hope _you _don't worry about spiders tonight. I think I saw a couple of webs downstairs."

Buttercup got very little sleep that night.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The iron robot made its way through the narrow streets of Townsville at 6:30 the next morning. The Mayor stuck his head out the window.

"Mojo Jojo! Do you have to ride that thing everywhere? It's so loud!"

"It is faster than walking, tiny man!" a hoarse voice shot back. "Now leave me alone, I'm going grocery shopping!"

"Oy vei," the Mayor sighed, and prepared to plop himself down in his chair, when the robot stomped down and a small quake shook the office. Several small chunks of the south wall fell to the floor.

"Oh great!" the Mayor declared. "Now the walls are coming down! Miss Bellum!"

"Yes, Mayor?" asked his tall, red, and mysterious secretary.

"Part of that wall fell!"

"Hmm…" She walked over and peered in the cracks. "Isn't this supposed to be the back wall of the building?"

"Yes!"

"Well, it's not."

"Huh?"

Miss Bellum stuck her fingers inside the crack and pulled away several more chunks of the wall. With the mayor's help, they found that the fragile wall was false, and they discovered the REAL south wall, upon which stood a massive steel door.

"Well I'll be! A wall behind a wall!" said the Mayor. "But where's this door lead to?" he yanked on it. "Uggh… It's stuck! We have to get someone to open it!"

"Yes, Mayor."

"Alright, boy, ready for your first day of school?" Hulk asked Ray as the two walked towards Pokey Oaks Kindergarten.

"Yes, Pa."

"I assume that your little girlfriend will be there, so at least you'll know someone there."

Ray blushed at hearing Blossom called his girlfriend. "Y-yes, pa."

"Humm, I wonder what this is all about?" Hulk mused, noticing a large crowd of people outside the mayor's office. "Let's go see."

Several people and one or two villains were standing outside, all talking at once.

"What's this commotion?" Hulk asked Mojo Jojo.

"It's absurd," Mojo answered. "Apparently, they have found some kind of large door in the mayor's office that nobody can open. They are all fools. I could surely open it with one of my machines."

Hulk raised his eyebrows. "You don't say…" He searched his mind furiously. Could this be the gate? He remembered part of the legend: _Our God stares upon the place where He will emerge._ His eyes quickly jumped to the church next door.

"Ah!" he cried in astonishment, for one of the small, stained-glass windows that portrayed St. Eva had the deity staring right at the back of the mayor's office.

"Stay here," he said to Ray.

"Where are you going?"

"It doesn't matter. Stay right here."

"But pa…"

"RAY STAY HERE!!!"

The child backed away, never having heard his father yell before. Hulk left him in Mojo's care and swept into the office. He pushed through the crowd of musclemen and construction people trying to wrench the door open.. all unsuccessful.

"Mayor," said Hulk, "Please have everyone back away. Immediately!"

"Uhh, okay, people, give the preacher some space!" the Mayor shouted. A silence fell, and Hulk approached the door. He placed his ear upon it and listened intently.

"Humm… very interesting." He placed his hands upon it, and after several moments, sparks left from the door, and Hulk backed off for a moment. Then he stepped up again and placed his hands on it once again, and began speaking in a low tone. It wasn't clear what he said, but then the door turned red hot, and Hulk quickly jumped back.

"Stand aside, everyone!" he cried, and everyone did so only just in time, for a large, scaly reptilian monster sprang forth from it, seemingly passing right through the metal door, which remained. It turned, snarling on all gathered in the office. The aforementioned people in the office immediately fled, leaving Hulk and the Mayor alone with the snarling beast.

"Don't make any sudden moves," Hulk cautioned. "These things are quickly angered."

"Are you familiar with many monsters?" the Mayor asked, shaking.

"Oh yes."

"Well, hold it off, I'll call the PowerPuff Girls."

"You had better let me handle it," Hulk said, placing a hand on the Mayor's shoulder. Then he turned on the monster, walking towards it slowly.

The monster leapt at Hulk. The Mayor screamed and stumbled back, knocking the hotline phone off the hook without knowing it. Hulk leapt aside with surprising agility, then as if by magic, shot a white blast forth from his palm, which struck the creature, disorienting it.

"How did you do that?" The Mayor asked. But Hulk didn't answer. The beast regained its senses and charged again. The preacher grabbed it by the neck, and held his palm a few inches from his face. White-hot magic spewed forth from his hand in a thick beam, and the monster writhed in pain. But Hulk was relentless, and soon the creature collapsed and exploded.

"Whew…" Hulk said, struggling to catch his breath, "That was close."

"Umm… Mister Hulk?"

Hulk turned to see the Powerpuff girls hovering by the window.

Bubbles spoke. "I'm just wondering if you could pretty please tell me with sugar lumps on top how you learned magic, please."

Hulk seemed to be considering carefully what to say. Finally, he said, "I am a master of many things." And smiled.

Blossom's ears picked up the sound of a bell. "Come on guys, we're late for school!"

And thus, they made off for Pokey Oaks Kindergarten.


	7. The Kiss On The Playground

The Kiss On The Playground

"Good morning class!"

"Good morning, Miss Keane!" said the kindergarten students.

"Okay, everyone, let's meet a brand new student! Everyone welcome mister Ray Hulk!"

"Hi Ray!" said the whole class.

Ray noticed Blossom smiling at him and blushed.

"Okay, Ray, take a seat." Miss K. told him. Ray walked over and took the seat next to Blossom.

"Oooooh," the class jeered.

"Now class, let's not make fun," scolded Miss K., "It's time for art class!"

"Yaaay!"

"Today, we're going to be making drawings of where we'd like to see ourselves in the future! It doesn't matter if you want to be a movie star, or an artist, just scribble it down!"

And so it was that the class proceeded to create lovely drawings of their ambitions. Mitch portrayed himself as a mad scientist; Bubbles became an animal doctor, ("Working with all the cute bunnies!" ~Bubbles); Buttercup drew herself in the boxing ring, Mike Tyson lying next to her in a heap. As for Blossom…

"Whatcha drawin, Blossom?" Bubbles asked, zooming over.

Blossom hastily covered up her paper. "Nothing!"

Buttercup joined them. "I saw something on that paper!"

"No you didn't!"

"Yes I did!" Buttercup tackled her sister and wrenched the paper away. Her jaw dropped. "Dear God…"

The paper had three figures. One was a stick figure with red hair and a bow, and an arrow pointed to her and said "ME." The second figure was holding hands with the first, and it too was a stick figure, only with long, brown hair. This one was labeled "RAY." The third figure was standing behind a tall brown blob which was obviously supposed to be an altar, and it was labeled "MR. HULK does the ceremony!"

Buttercup's eyes slowly shifted from the picture to her sister, who was blushing more of a purple now than red. "You are crazy, you know that?"

"Don't say that!" Blossom snapped, grabbing the picture back. 

Buttercup snatched it back again. "Then let me go show your BOYfriend this lovely piece of art!"

Before Blossom could react, Buttercup had flown over to Ray and was tapping him on the shoulder. "Hey, hey!"

"What?" he asked, looking up from his paper.

"Look at this!"

While Ray was distracted looking at the drawing, Buttercup's eyes fell on Ray's own artwork. It featured a crude likeness of himself and Blossom lying on a hill watching the stars, arms around each other. At the top in black it said "BLOSSOM AND ME."

At the same moment, Ray understood Blossom's drawing AND saw Buttercup staring at his own. "Go away," he told her.

"What?"

"Go away. You make fun of us too much."

"I agree!" declared Blossom, who had seen everything. "Buttercup, how come you can't just mind your own business sometimes?"

Buttercup spun on her sister. "You stay out of it!"

"What do you mean? It's about me!"

"Oh yeah…"

Miss K. walked over. "Buttercup, I really think you need to sit down now. Work on your own project and leave other people alone."

Buttercup sat back down, grumbling to herself. She would deal with them at recess.

Recess came, at last, and all the cheerful little students ran out onto the playground, eager to start games of catch, or four-square, or jump-rope. Among the students, Ray and Blossom walked across the playground, hand-in-hand, mentioning that they had seen each other's drawings.

"I like yours better," Ray was saying. "It's more happy."

"I don't know, I think watching the stars all night is pretty cool, too." she said, smiling.

"Maybe we will one day." he said.

"Or maybe you won't." said an icy voice. The pair of them turned to see Buttercup standing there, arms crossed. "So you think that you can get me in trouble and get away with it?" she growled. "Think again."

Blossom sighed. "Just go away for once, would you?"

"No. This is stupid anyway, you're mad cos I saw some drawing with you two being all _lovey dovey!_ You don't even love each other!"

"YES WE DO!" Blossom shouted back.

By now, people had heard the argument, and a crowd was forming around them.

"You don't!" Buttercup snapped. "You don't even know what 'love' is!"

"We do too!" Ray cried.

Buttercup's eyes became very evil. "Okay then… PROVE IT!"

"What???"

"Go on! Kiss each other! Right now! I dare you."

Bubbles tapped her sister on the shoulder. "Um, Buttercup, I think maybe you should just leave them alone…"

"You stay out of this," Buttercup snarled. She turned back. "So come on! I double dare you!"

Blossom and Ray looked at each other and gulped. They definitely did _not_ want to kiss right here in front of everyone. They remained silent.

"What's the matter?" Buttercup jeered. "I double DOG dare you!"

Blossom was terrified. Her sister was slowly climbing up the "dare" scale. Next would come the triple dare, and then the inescapable triple dog dare. Then she scratched her head. Hadn't she seen this on a movie once?

Buttercup grew tired of waiting. "I triple dog dare you, Blossom!"

Murmurs of worry spread throughout the crowd. Blossom was stuck now. There was no escape.

Blossom turned to Ray, shaking. "Um, we really can't start kissing out here, can we?"

Ray smiled, a little too calmly to the common observer. "Sure we can."

"Huh???"

"But first, let me demonstrate something my father taught me." He turned to face Buttercup and started walking towards her. "Hello, Buttercup."

"What are you doing?" she aksed.

Ray raised his hands, palm out. "Watch my hands, Buttercup. Concentrate on them."

Slowly, Ray's hands began to glow, soft at first, but steadily brighter. Then, in a flash, huge bursts of light shot from his hands and flew all over the playground! Buttercup screamed, and the crowd dispersed and fled indoors, leaving Blossom and Ray alone by the flagpole.

Blossom put her hands on her hips. "You are too much, do you know that?"

"Yes I do."

And so the dared kiss went ahead as planned.

"Ray…" Blossom whispered, "I truly love you."

He kissed her again. "I love you too."

Miss Keane stared out the window at them and sighed. "Oh, to be young again…"


	8. Mojo Jojo Hears Of Strange Doings

Mojo Jojo Hears Of Strange Doings

It was night, and the citizens of Townsville were happily tucked away in their beds for a good night's sleep. It was at this time that Mojo Jojo walked through the street on his way back to his lab, having just beaten Him and Fuzzy Lumpkins at pool. He whistled to himself, but he stopped as he walked past the church. Loud voices were coming from within.

"I wonder what this is about…" he said to himself, and he cautiously stole across the street to get near a window of the church. He quickly picked out Father Huk's voice.

"…And I'm telling you, this IS the gate!"

"Don't tell me you believe that legend?" said another voice.

"Of course I do, Bishop Henry," Hulk snapped. "And as a member of the St. Eva Church, I'd hope you do, too!"

"You don't really think that the actual St. Eva is going to come through there and do what it says in the last chapter of the Book Of Evans, do you?"

"I don't think it, Manson, I know it."

"You're crazy!"

"Enough from you!" Hulk roared. "You'll see soon enough! When the time is right, we will make use of the keys, and you shall see for yourselves!"

"And just what are these 'keys'?" Henry asked.

"There are three in this town with the purest hearts of all," Hulk said softly. "When these three are sacrificed, the door to Infinity shall open, and St. Eva will emerge."

Mojo Jojo's eyebrows raised. This was truly absurd what they were talking about, but then again, these St. Eva weirdos always spoke absurdly. He shrugged, and made off for home.


	9. The Prophecy Of St Eva

The Prophecy Of St. Eva

The week went by in a blur. Blossom and Ray could barely be separated, and by now the whole class, if not the whole neighborhood, knew of their love. Buttercup's taunting subsided somewhat, although there were a few comments made here and there. Bubbles was happy for her sister, though, and often sat dreaming of when she would meet her perfect man. Blossom remembered playing Monopoly with her sisters, her father, and Ray that past Wednesday.

"Okay, Blossom, your turn." said Professor Utonium, passing her the dice. Blossom, who was almost out of money, rolled a seven, landing her squarely on St. James Place, which Ray had 3 houses on.

"That's $250, _honey,_" he said, sticking his tongue out. (I dun know the actual rent of St. James place with 3 houses, ok people? I'm allowed to fudge things once in a while, too. ~M.J.)

Blossom counted her money. "Oh dear… I don't have enough. Maybe this will do instead." She leaned over and kissed Ray.

Ray smiled. "Here's your change," he said, kissing her back. Suddenly, they became aware of three very wide sets of eyes watching them.

Blossom turned red. "Ummm… that's actually a form of currency in, um… Zimbabwe! Really!"

The professor narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Alright, I'll let it slide.. but from now on, only American currency."

Ray snapped his fingers. "Dang!"

Everyone laughed.

And now it was Sunday again, and time for church! The girls noticed that the staff of the church seemed to be in an accelerated state of business, and they wondered at the change.

"Hey, Blossom," called Ray, walking in with his father.

"Oooooh, hi!" she squealed, hugging him. "Geez, I haven't seen you since, like what, last night?"

Ray laughed. "I think so. WAY too long."

Hulk pushed gently on his son's back. "Come along quickly, children. We have much to talk about today."

At length, all were seated in the chapel once again, and Father Hulk took his place at the altar and began to speak.

"Good morning, once again, my children. I speak to you today on a very special occasion for the believers of St. Eva. A momentous event has occurred! But in order to tell you about the event, I need to fill you in on the prophecy of St. Eva. Let us turn to the Book Of Habaruku in our Books of Evans."

Blossom took out her book from the little holder and flipped to the right page. She read silently along with Hulk.

__

It will be seven ages and thirty years after the war of Evrai. The city of God will be gone, and our religion will spread to other corners of the world. **Bless St. Eva. **The time will come when our God will again walk the soil of this earth. **May he return quickly. **He will emerge through the Great Sealed Gate, which will be revealed thirty-one days before His coming. Then, the three keys shall be installed, and the seal shall open. Then and only then will the Holy St. Eva, Father Evans, come forth to place his blessing upon the world.

Hulk stopped reading, and looked up at the congregation with expectant eyes. "So soon will the day come," he said, "For the gate has already been discovered!"

Murmurs of disbelief ran through the congregation.

"That's correct. Six days ago, we discovered the forever-closed door inside the Mayor's office. I do believe that this is God's portal. So that means that in 25 days, we will see St. Eva!"

Blossom and her sisters were silent with wonder. How could such a thing happen? They, in their lifetime, were going to behold their actual God? It was breathtaking even to think about it.

Hulk continued. "There are three keys to opening the Door. They will be brought to me when the time is right, and the prophecy will come true!"

"I wonder what the three keys are?" Bubbles whispered. "Maybe they're ancient artifacts hidden all over the world!"

"Or maybe they're pendants or medallions that fit into spaces in the door, like on Indiana Jones," Buttercup said.

"And so," Hulk concluded, "Let us continue to pray, and we shall all be repaid in a matter of days! Good day."

"Isn't that cool?" Ray asked Blossom after the sermon ended. "We get to see God!"

Buttercup shuddered. "I hope he's still not mad at me."

"Hello, girls," said Hulk, coming over. "How are you three?"

"Fine," they answered in unison.

"Please do keep coming to church," Hulk said. "You three are so very important to me."

"We will, Mr. Hulk," said Blossom. Hulk nodded, and then hurried away with a gleam in his eye.


	10. Mojo Jojo's Suspicions Are Confirmed

Mojo Jojo's Suspicions Are Confirmed

After the service had concluded, the people began to file out of the chapel and out of the church. Mojo Jojo was planning on doing exactly that as well, but his sight was arrested by seeing all the staff of the church going into a small room and bolting the door.

"I wonder what this is about?" he whispered. He crept up to the door and placed his ear on it.

"…and they'll have no choice!" It was Hulk.

"You're crazy, Max. You do know that, right?" said Bishop Henry.

"Is that so? We'll see how God treats you when He arrives!"

There was a moment of silence. Finally, Father Manson spoke. "Couldn't you have picked a different kind of key, though? I mean, seeing our God is spectacular, don't get me wrong, but if we're gonna sacrifice…"

Hulk cut him off. "The decision of the keys was not up to me. It was written in the prophecy dated all the way back to the days of Evrai! It was said: _And the one with the hair red as rose; and the one with the laugh as sweet as a river; and the one with strength over men… they shall be the ones to allow God into the world. _I don't see what you don't understand about that."

"What _you_ don't understand is that it's wrong!" Henry cried. "Honestly, do you really think the public of Townsville is going to go for this little ritual you have planned?"

"Screw Townsville." Hulk spat.

"Maximillian J. Hulk, you are a madman." Manson scoffed.

Hulk growled. "You know I hate that name. And I am not a madman. What am I? I am just the middleman between the gate and St. Eva. That's all."

"But…"

"But nothing! If you continue to object, I will charge you with treason of the church, and you'll be taken to Carousel!"

There was silence. Mojo made himself scarce as the door opened again, but he now had a lot to think about.

(A/N: BTW, I'm furious! I just saw the episode "THE ROWDYRUFF BOYS", and they STOLE my opening line! "The city of Townsville! …Is being attacked by Mojo Jojo!!!" I made that up!!!! Waaaah! ……… okay maybe they did it before me… but it's still a damn good line. Ta!)


	11. Time Flies

Time Flies

The citizens of Townsville were born again, and did everything they possibly could do make sure that God would smile upon them when he arrived. Prayers were said every hour on the hour; helpfulness on the street or in the home became so frequent it was almost overdone… everyone and anyone had become a new person.

Even Professor Utonium had been cleaning the house and requiring the girls to pray every morning and night. Blossom didn't mind the change, nor did Bubbles. Buttercup, however… (Praying is for sissies! ~B.C.)

The next several days went very quickly. Because of the massive activity in the Hulk household, Blossom and Ray were barely together, except for school. Speaking of school, it was a changed land within the institute of Pokey Oaks. School work was done in record time, and even youngsters like Mitch Mitchelson were as well-behaved as an angel.

Blossom recalled another event that had taken place at recess on Wednesday.

Amid the games of catch and frisbee, Blossom and Ray sat quietly in the field, holding hands.

"Have I told you yet today that I love you?" Ray asked, smiling.

"You did just now," Blossom replied, planting a kiss on his cheek. "And the vice is versa."

"Oooh, how romantic…" jeered another voice.

Blossom rolled her eyes. "What do you want, Buttercup?"

"Nothing with you," her sister snapped. "I'd like to see your boyfriend do more magic."

Ray was surprised. "What?"

"Yeah, show me some magic like you did last week."

A group of kids had heard Buttercup's request and were gathering around.

Ray stood up, and gulped. "Well, I don't know very much…"

"Show us anything you know."

"Umm… well, okay… watch this." Ray raised his hand, and a nearby soccer ball lifted off the ground and began floating before them!

"Whoa!" they all cried.

"The trick is to trust your feelings." Ray told them. "Here, check this out." He raised both palms to the sky, and a black and white blast shot from each one and formed a shimmering yin-yang in the air.

"Ooooh! Aaaah!"

"This one's for you," he said to Blossom with a smile. He became very still, his hands raised to the sky. Then, with a cry of "Heeeeyah!", huge red blasts shot from his fingertips and into the sky. As the dazzled crowd watched, letters were written among the clouds:

BLOSSOM IS MY SWEETHEART!

"Awww…" the crowd cooed.

Buttercup crossed her arms and grumbled, but then she noticed two small, green blasts come from Ray, and the words:

BUTTERCUP, YOU'RE COOL TOO! Were formed.

"Ahh, you!" Buttercup laughed, slapping Ray the high five. "You're all right, you know that?"

"Hey, that's MY man, yo!" Blossom sneered. The sisters laughed and hugged each other.

After the girls turned around, it had been 15 days.

(A/N: I know, I know… jumping 15 days… it's a big step. But if I keep doing each chapter about two days or so, you'll have seen so many buttons that you'll see them in your sleep. So let's get to the good parts, shall we? Here's to: :{-) Alakazam! The best Pokemon in the world! And mister @:-} curly haired clown hat wearing happy guy!)


	12. The High Council

The High Council

"All right, monkey, what's this all about?" Princess snarled. Mojo Jojo had gathered all the villains of Townsville in the old, abandoned warehouse.

"I, Mojo Jojo, have something I need to speak to you about."

"I would hope so," Him sighed, bored. "And that you didn't invite us here for other, more sick purposes."

Fuzzy laughed. "You're disgusting."

"May I have silence, please?" Mojo said. "Now! Let's establish one thing right now: We hate the Powerpuff Girls, right?"

"YES!" was the answer in unison.

"It has always been each and every one of our dreams to destroy them!"

"RIGHT!"

"However! I have learned that the Powerpuff Girls are going to be destroyed anyway, and by none of us!"

Silence. "What're y'all talkin about?" Fuzzy Lumkins finally asked.

"The St. Eva Church has plans to sacrifice them in order to open their so called 'Gate.'"

The leader of the Gangreen Gang scratched his head. "And… that's GOOD, right? Those girls will finally be history!"

Echoes of agreement came from the group.

"And then I can start a NEW group of Powerpuff Girls!" Princess gloated.

"But is it RIGHT?" Mojo asked over the noise, which promptly ceased.

"What do you mean?" Him asked. "_I _don't see anything wrong with it."

"But _you_ didn't go through the history books and preacher's material about St. Eva!" Mojo declared, taking out a manilla folder. "These St. Eva weirdos are not all that they say they are. I've done research about them. They are a verrrrry bizarre group that loves human sacrifices and rituals by fire."

"Go on…"

"They thrived on destruction. Remember that city, Evrai, that Hulk says was destroyed and sank?"

"Yes……"

"That was actually an act committed by the St. Eva superiors themselves, as a ritual to please their God!"

"That's messed up!" said Butch, the Rowdyruff. (YES, they were recreated.)

Mojo pointed to a picture of a squat man with reptile eyes. "This is the founder of the religion, Habaruku. He was apparently very evil, and loved death and destruction. He often spoke to his followers about a demon that was scheduled to arrive many millenia from that time, which would fulfill the ultimate plan of destruction…"

"Which was what?" Princess asked.

Mojo's voice became very soft. "The world."

There was eerie silence, save for the sloshing of the Amoeba Boys' bodies.

Finally, Mojo spoke again. "So what we must ask ourselves is, do we contain any compassion whatsoever? Are we going to stand by and let the Powerpuff Girls be destroyed for such a purpose?"

More silence. Finally Him stood. "This is ridiculous. I'm leaving."

The others uneasily stood, and without any words, left the building, leaving Mojo plopped on a barrel, lost in thought.

"What am I to do…?"


	13. The TwentyFirst Day

The Twenty-first Day

Tension and anticipation grew steadily in Townsville as the final five days wound down. The church was a madhouse, as Hulk, Henry, and Manson cleaned, and prayed, and prayed again. Everyone was preparing for the glorious emergence of St. Eva! We join the girls just as they get home from school on the 21st day.

"Hello, girls, how was school?" Asked the flat-topped professor Utonium.

"It was good," they replied in unison.

"That's nice. Now quickly say your after-school prayers."

"Okay!" They zipped up to their bedroom and knelt by their beds, but they had barely finished the first verse when the phone rang.

"Utonium residence," said the professor, picking up the living-room phone.

"Professor, it's Max," said an anxious voice on the other end.

"Oh, yes, Mr. Hulk, what can I do for you?"

"I need to speak to the girls."

"All right. You sound stressed, though, father. Is everything okay?"

"Everything's FINE! Now put Blossom on."

"Oh, Blossom!" Utonium called. "Telephone! It's Ray's father!"

Blossom picked up. "Hi, Mr. Hulk!"

"How nice to speak to you, Blossom." Hulk whispered. Blossom detected a coldness to his voice that had never been there before. "Would you like to bring your sisters over to my house, so that we can have some lemonade and chat?"

"Hold on…" she said, and then called to her father. "Dad! Can we go to Ray's house?"

"Of course!" was the reply. "Just as long as you're back by supper!"

"We can come, Mr. Hulk," Blossom told Hulk. "We'll be there in a few minutes."

"Wonderful! I'm looking forward to it."

"He sounded strange," said Buttercup, who had heard everything with her ultrasonic hearing.

"Maybe he just has a cold," Bubbles suggested.

"I agree with Buttercup," Blossom mused. "There was something icy about his tone."

"Well, let's go. The quicker we get there, the quicker we can leave." Buttercup said, zipping out the window. The other two followed.

"Welcome, girls," said Hulk, opening the door. "Won't you come in?"

"Sure!"

"Where's Ray?" Blossom asked.

"He's up in his room," Hulk said, and as he noticed Blossom ready to fly up there, he said, "But I insist you have some of my lemonade first. It's almost as famous as my grilled cheese."

"Okay," they said, and he passed them each a glass of pink lemonade. They gulped it down eagerly.

"Mmm, Mr. Hulk this is really good," Bubbles exclaimed. "I love it!"

"Yeah, it's… it's…" Blossom faltered, and stumbled.

"What's wrong Blossom? Ohhhh……" Bubbles too found herself becoming dizzy, and collapsed to her knees.

"I feel weirrrd," Buttercup moaned.

The sleepiness and nausea overwhelmed them. The last thing they saw before going unconscious was Hulk smiling.

"Heh heh heh, perfect…" Hulk said to himself. "Everything according to plan." Just as he bent to retrieve the still figures, there was an exclamation from his left.

"DAD!!!" Ray stood in the living room doorway, aghast. "Dad, what happened? What have you done???"

Hulk set his face and remained silent for a moment, then said, "Ray, come with me."

"Wait! What happened to them?!"

"Ray, come with me NOW."

"But Dad…"

"RAY!!! NOW!!"

Ray looked up defiantly, and said something he'd never said to his father before. "No!"

"Arrogant little…" Hulk grabbed Ray and tucked him under his arm, and carried him away.

(A/N: And the cataclysm is starting! Stay tuned, folks! Lots of drama and action in store for y'all! This story is gonna be the shiznit!)


	14. The Professor Is Lied To

The Professor Is Lied To

Professor Utonium paced the floor, biting his nails. It was way past suppertime, and no sign of the girls. He of course didn't suspect Hulk, the kindly old man, to have done anything with them… or to them… but the thoughts kept racing through his mind of the old preacher committing some horrible religious ritual on them.

The phone rang. Utonium was there in a flash. "Hello???"

"Professor? It's Max."

Utonium breathed a deep sigh of relief. "Oh, Mr. Hulk, thank goodness! I was so worried about the girls! They're still with you?"

"Yes. As a matter of fact, we were talking together, and they told me they wanted to stay with me these last few days to help prepare for St. Eva's arrival."

"Oh. But…"

"You needn't worry," Hulk continued. "I'll keep them well fed and make sure they say their prayers."

Utonium sighed. "Okay. But Buttercup doesn't like chicken, and Blossom is allergic to peanuts. And don't call squirrels rodents. Bubbles hates that."

"Duly noted, sir." And the phone was hung up.

Professor Utonium smiled and poured himself a drink. God was coming, the world would be enlightened, and the only reason the girls weren't home was that they were helping kindly Father Hulk. Everything was going to be okay!

(A/N: Yeah, right. And I'm Barbara Striesand.

****

CARTMAN: Damn your black heart, Barbara Striesand!!!

Umm… right. Well, I know this is a microchapter, but this isn't all of tonight's update, so read on! I plan on typing until the actual PPG comes on, which is 10:30, and it's 9:45 now… soooo… hohohohoho!)


	15. The Girls Awaken

The Girls Awaken

Darkness. Darkness has only one shade, and that's the inky black that it is. But suddenly, the shades of grey started to swirl before Blossom's shut eyes, and the greys turned to whites, and then a slit of light formed and grew wider as she opened her eyes. She was in a basement of some kind. Boxes upon boxes were stacked everywhere, and old bibles and religious material were strewn on shelves. Then she became aware of herself. She was chained to a wall by her arms and legs. Looking to her side, she saw her sisters restrained in a similar fashion.

"Wake up, guys!" she whispered. "Bubbles! Buttercup!"

"Uhhh… my head…" Buttercup groaned as she opened her own eyes. As soon as she saw her state, she screamed. "Where are we???!!!"

"You are in the St. Eva church." answered a steely voice.

Blossom gasped as a door opened in the ceiling and a figure climbed down the ladder. "Mr. Hulk!"

"Yes, that's right." Said Hulk, now speaking with an arrogance he never possessed before. He approached them slowly. "You are being imprisoned here because I need you."

"For what?" Buttercup spat.

"Oh, you wish to know? I shall tell you. First, you should know that you have more importance to the St. Eva church than you can possibly imagine. You are the keys to the gate!"

Bubbles' lower lip was shaking. "What do you mean?"

"It means, fair child, that you three are going to open the door that will allow Father Evans into the world."

"How are we going to do that?" Blossom asked.

Hulk spoke very softly. "By dying."

"Nooooo!" Bubbles screamed. "Let us go!!!!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Hulk said with a sneer. "If we set you free, you'd become a danger to our cause."

Suddenly, a thought hit Blossom in the face. "Ray will never let you get away with this! He will stop you!"

Hulk chuckled. "Ray, too, has been taken care of."

Buttercup raised her voice. "You took me before God, and I know that He would never allow you to get away with this treachery!"

Hulk shook his head and sighed. "My poor, poor girl… you know very little about St. Eva, I'm afraid." And he left them.

Bubbles burst out crying. "Waaaah! We're gonna die!"

"Don't cry, Bubbles," said Blossom, trying to sound confident though her voice quavered. "We'll find a way out of this." However, after several moments of silence, all three found themselves in tears.

(A/N: If you're ready for lots of drama, turn to the next chappie.)


	16. The Death Of The Girls

The Death Of The Girls

****

At last, the day had come. The day of St. Eva! The day of God! The Mayor had ordered all the walls of the city hall save for the one with the Gate be removed, so now the door stood out in the open. The entire population of Townsville, villains included, had massed themselves around the church. A few yards before the gate, Hulk stood on a tall platform, a cross in one hand, and his other hand raised to the sky. He was chanting prayers to St. Eva in a foreign language. Father Manson and Bishop Henry stood by his side, heads bowed. Excitement, tension, and anxiety were in the air, as well as a bit of fear.

Professor Utonium fought his way to Hulk and called up to him. "Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt, father, but where are my girls?"

"They'll be here." Hulk said, and continued to chant. The congregation began to chant after him.

Ray struggled in his bonds. He was heavily shackled to the wall in the upper wing of the church. He was positioned right in front of the window, so that he could see what was going on down below. And he didn't like it. He didn't know what his father had up his sleeve, but it must be something evil. He found himself debating his loyalty to his father endlessly. If his father loved him, he wouldn't scream at him and chain him up. Ray had screamed his lungs out to no avail, and now bitterly watched the ceremonies taking place. He didn't see Blossom, though, and that bothered him. But he knew his father would never hurt her. Right……?

The sky was red, and thick, black clouds swirled around and formed a concentric pattern above the Gate. At last, Father Hulk called for complete silence and began to speak.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Today is the day! The day when we behold our God! It is a day prophesized from thousands of years ago! And now it is here! You people have all been doing well, praying constantly and praising God's name. That is exactly what we wanted you to do! You have fell into our trap!!!"

Murmurs of confusion ran through the crowd.

"You see," Hulk continued, "You all know very very little about our religion! You haven't even been praying to a God!"

More cries of surprise.

"What's more, I'm not even what you see here! There is no Father Hulk!!!"

As the crowd watched, aghast, the form of the preacher shrank, melted, swirled around, and transformed itself into a short, round-headed man with long arms and gleaming reptillian eyes.

"Behold!" he cried. "I am Habaruku, founder of the St. Eva religion!"

The crowd screamed.

"Yes, be afraid!" Habaruku gloated. "Because you know what you've been doing? You've been feeding my master, Death Evans, tremendous power!"

More cries.

"That's right! By absorbing your foolish prayers, Death Evans gains strength! For millennia, this demon has dwelt in the bowels of the earth, and now you foolish humans have given him so much power, that he is ready to make his appearance! And when he does, the world will crumble before your very eyes!"

The villains of Townsville were stunned silent. "I was right," Mojo whispered. "It's all true… every bit of it. But what about……?"

Habaruku gestured to the sealed door. "This is the gate that leads down into Infinity, where Death Evans dwells. But he has already ascended quite high, and shortly after we open this gate, he will emerge!!!"

The people of Townsville were overcome by fear. Some dropped to their knees and cried, some screamed, and some just stood there, riveted by what they were hearing.

"And do you know what the key is to opening this door?"

The villains exchanged glances.

"The key is… the death of the Powerpuff Girls!!!"

The crowd screamed as one, and Ray's head jerked up and he strained himself against his chains.

"No, Dad!" he cried, "Don't do it! Please! I love her!"

Habaruku raised one hand, and another platform rose from the ground, where the Powerpuff Girls sat, bound and gagged. "It was said by our founders themselves: _one with hair red as rose, one with laugh like a river, and one with strength over men … will allow God into the world._ I give you the keys, ladies and gentlemen!"

He turned, smiled, then turned back. "Let's not waste any more time! Let us open the gate!"

"No!" Utonium screamed, and he charged towards the platform, but Manson grabbed him and placed his hand over the professor's face. Utonium collapsed.

Habaruku turned once more to the girls and stepped forward. "Now, girls… please die for our God!" He raised his hands, and the girls hovered above the platform, and then began drifting towards the door.

"Noooo! God damn it, no!" Ray screamed at the top of his lungs.

The villains were riveted to the spot in horrified fascination.

Unable to move or speak, the girls could only gaze at their people in a sad farewell as their bodies made contact with the gate.

Sparks flew, flames leapt from the door, and lightning and thunder filled the sky as the girls writhed and shook against the hard steel. Habaruku cackled. The crowd was in silence. Finally, with one huge burst of flame, the noise stopped, the door was open, and the Powerpuff Girls fell to the ground, lifeless and unmoving.

"NOOOOOOOOO!!!" Ray cried.

Mojo Jojo's eyebrows lowered. All his conflicting feelings spiraled in an endless tornado, and then anger filled his heart, and he thrust a finger at Habaruku and cried, "GET HIM!!!"

All the villains of Townsville were on his side, and they charged the squat figure. Mojo Jojo blasted and blasted, and Him cast spells of darkness, and the Gangrene Gang followed up with a physical assault. Of course, Habaruku, too, was armed, and he cast powerful magic from his hands, flinging them left and right to the ground. Princess flew in circles, firing her lasers. The evil cat (I forget his name) scampered up and bit Habaruku in the leg.

Him rose to his feet, took a deep breath, and engulfed Habaruku in a barrage of spit attacks, all the fury and anger built up inside him being taken out on Habaruku.

Mojo saw his chance, and assisted Him by trapping Habaruku in a blaster beam. Princess followed suit, and Fuzzy Lumkins crushed the founder under a boulder.

Mojo dusted his hands. "The Fab Four are back!"

"Look!" Princess screamed. The boulder was beginning to crack and crumble, and then to their horror, it shattered, and a huge dragon rose from the rubble, towering over all of them. What's more, Manson and Henry in turn transformed into equally large dragons.

"Umm, this could be a problem…" Mojo whispered.

"You're not alone!" called a voice.

Mojo spun. "You!"

It was Steve, and behind him was a whole troop of beasts from Monster Isle. "I figured I'd bring you guys some backup," Steve said with a shrug.

Habaruku (I'm still calling them by their names, even though they're all dragons now) snorted smoke and hissed. "You are all fools!"

Steve cracked his knuckles. "Ready to rumble?"

Mojo turned and began hurrying in the other direction. "My observatory has a very powerful laser," he explained. "I'm going to man it, so we can hurt those dragons badly."

Him grew himself to a monstrous size. "I'm ready as I'll ever be."

The Rowdyruffs flew into position beside Him. "We're with you too." (BTW, yes, Mojo Jojo recreated the Rowdyruff Boys, because he knew that there was going to be a big conflict and that he would need help.)

"All right then," Steve said. "Chaaaaaaarge!"

Steve reached Habaruku first, and landed a punch right in the dragon's face. Habaruku came back with a strong laser blast from his mouth, which caused Steve to falter to his knees.

A huge snake was fighting with Manson, trying to dart in and sink his fangs into the dragon. When that failed, he coiled himself around Manson, only to scream and pull back, because Manson engulfed himself in a ball of fire.

A three-headed bird was battling Henry, shooting three-colored triangles and sharp stars at him. Henry winced with each impact, but then raised his snout to the sky, and lighting shot from above and electrified the bird.

Now it was Habaruku's turn. He took flight, and flew over the mass of monsters, breathing fire. The monsters scattered, and he set down in the middle and breathed a ring of fire all around. 

Suddenly, a bright orange bolt hit Habaruku square in the head.

"It's Mojo!" Princess cried gleefully. "He's shooting at these assholes with his laser!"

More bolts shot into the dragon, and he was forced to fly up, and he landed on top of the church and shot chain lightning down upon the combatants.

Manson lifted off as well, and with his talons outstretched, flew low over the group, slashing anything in his way. Him narrowly avoided getting hit, and he countered by grabbing a wing and filling it with a dark poison. Manson fell, and Him shot acid at him as he went down.

Ray cried as he watched helplessly. The horror which he beheld was almost too much for him. His girlfriend was dead, his father was a demon, and a bigger demon was on its way. Then, the tears left his eyes and anger filled them. Pure, raw anger. He had to avenge Blossom's death. He had to do what was RIGHT!!!! With a scream, he filled his body with magic and broke his bonds, and he kicked open the glass window and jumped down to the ground.

"You, little one," said a Gangrene member, "Get out of here, it's not safe for you!"

Ray ignored him. He waited for an opening. Finally, all three of the dragons had alighted on top of the church, firing upon the monsters.

"Everyone," he cried, "Focus all your lasers or whatever on all of them! I need as much concentration of energy as I can get!"

"What?" Him asked.

"Just do it!"

Princess fired her laser beam, engulfing the trio. Him followed with a blast from his mouth. The Rowdyruffs used their eye lasers, and whatever beasts had laser power, used it.

Ray raised his arms into the sky. "I have no tears for you, father," he said, and then closed his eyes as his hands began to glow. The glow brightened. The dragons writhed under the concentrated laser fire. Finally, Ray's magic exploded into a huge comet that flew into the center of the laser blasts.

There was a tremendous explosion, and a blast of heat as the sky turned white with flame. The villains and monsters alike fell backwards, and for a moment, the earth was trapped in a ghostly white halo. And then the light faded, and the dragons and the St. Eva Church had vanished.

"We did it!" Princess cried. The monsters slapped each other on the back, as well as the villains.

"Um, people…" Him whispered, pointing down to the ground. The jubilation fell dead as they remembered their loss. They walked slowly to where the Powerpuff Girls were lying.

Fuzzy lifted Bubbles' hand from the ground, but it dropped right back in place. He looked up and shook his head.

"Are they…? Are they…?" Him stammered. He felt himself filled with a compassion that he never knew his black heart possessed.

Mojo had rejoined the group, and he walked forward and lifted Blossom's still form from the ground. He placed his hand over her chest, and felt no heartbeat. Two tears slipped from his eyes as he hugged the lifeless girl. "I'm sorry…" he sniffed. "I'm so sorry…"

Professor Utonium dropped to his knees and bawled.

Ray ran to Blossom and grabbed her from Mojo. "Blossom, don't do this! You're still alive, I know it!" Nothing. Tears flowed like a fountain, as Ray cursed his life, and he cursed his father, and he cursed himself for not being there when she needed him most!

The monsters stood silent, heads bowed. There was nothing to be said.

And then Ray looked up, as the ground began to shake.

"What was that?" Mojo asked.

Ray gazed into the blackness of the open gate and whispered, "Death Evans is coming."


	17. The Day Of The Deity

Day Of The Deity

"He's coming," Ray cried. "Death Evans is coming!"

"So what do we do?" Him asked.

"Are we gonna kick his ass?" Fuzzy queried.

"No," Ray said. "You're not. I am."

"WHAT??" Everyone cried.

"This is up to me. I have to avenge the death of my beloved."

"Um, little boy, how are you planning to take on Death Evans all by yourself?" Him asked.

Ray smiled sadly. "For once in your life, demon, you must trust someone. Make that person me."

Him nodded.

Ray got up on the platform and shouted, "I want all the citizens of Townsville IN THEIR HOMES! Go! Hurry up!"

Not needing to be told twice, the people ran to their houses and bolted their doors.

"Nobody fire any weapons," Ray continued. "The power of God is on my side."

Suddenly, a massive earthquake began, and the villains and ray stumbled as the wall with the gate began to crumble. A bright light shone from the door, and then the wall exploded in a ball of fire, and everybody beheld Death Evans.

He was huge. His skin was scaly, and he was several hundred feet tall. Snapping growths sprung from his lower abdomen, while a ring of skulls surrounded his upper abdomen. He had thick, scaly wings attached to his arms, and two large horns coming from his head. His eyes gleamed white, and then he spoke.

"People of earth," he boomed, the very volume of his voice uprooting trees, "I have arrived at last! Now I shall fulfill the prophecy!" He gazed down on the shivering figures far below him. "You are all worthless fools! You gave me your strength, and now I will use it to destroy the world! While the earth explodes in front of me, you will all sit there and realize your weakness!"

Suddenly, supported on Him's shoulders, Ray rose before the demon, holding a cross before him. The wind blew his hair wildly, and lightning flashed in the sky.

"Who are you?" Death Evans snarled.

Ray held the cross high. "And it was said: God created the heavens and earth! To the earth he said, I will keep your form fast! No being will shatter thy form! And to the heavens he said, Here I will dwell, and cast down those who attempt to wrong what I have righted!"

Evans laughed. "Your God is pitiful."

Ray continued. "And God's punishment has no mercy! For forty days and forty nights did he flood the earth, to rid it of the people who wished for wrong! And He passed over Egypt and destroyed those who imprisoned his people!" The wind picked up as he spoke, this time directly to Evans. "You are the devil! God did not make you! And now, it is time to unmake you! For I have the power of God!"

He raised the cross high into the air, and the wind blew stronger and formed a twister around Evans.

"What is happening?" The demon cried. "No!"

"What is happening is your demise! Behold!" Ray gestured down below, to all the figures who were knelt in prayer. "These people believe in God! Their positive feelings in their hearts are joining with God himself!" Lightning flickered.

"No!" Evans shot lasers from his eyes, but they ricocheted off the wind harmlessly.

"And now, it is time for you to die!" Ray screamed. Him lifted him highter, and Ray spoke once more. "And He shall smite the wicked, and plunge them into the fiery pit!!!!!!"

A thick lightning bolt shot from the swirling clouds and struck Death Evans. Electricity and Holy power surged through his body as he shook and screamed in agony. There was a blinding, silent white blast, and then nothingness. Death Evans was gone.


	18. The Power of God

The Power Of God

Him lowered Ray to the ground, and the silence remained. What was to be said? They had triumphed over the demon, but there was still loss. How could they cope? Him beheld the still forms of the girls once again, and a black tear slipped from his eye and fell sizzling on the pavement.

Suddenly, they were once again bathed in a ghostly white glow.

"What is that?" Mojo asked.

Through the light, they saw a figure, wearing a billowing robe, and his face shrouded.

The voice echoed in their minds. "I am God. Behold me, my children. Thou hast done well to defeat the devil."

Everyone dropped to their knees.

"All of you are pure hearted, and let it be known a warm welcome awaits you when your time is nigh. Make a wish, and it shall be granted as thanks, for the devil hoped to destroy all that I built."

Ray stepped forward. "Please, God, blessed be You, please revive the Powerpuff Girls! Such a request is surely not above you!"

"Indeed it isn't." God said. "Very well, I shall grant your wish. My people… remember to keep yourselves pure, and do only good unto thyself and thy family and thy neighbor. Live for the good of all, and I ask for no more. Farewell." The white light brightened, and faded.

And then, Blossom stirred. "Ohhh…"

"Blossom!" Ray cried, running to her side. "Blossom! You're alive!"

The redhead slowly sat up, and with heavy eyes gazed at him. Recognition did wonders for her condition. "Ray! Oh my God, Ray!" she threw herself into his arms, sobbing. "I thought I'd never see you again!"

Bubbles and Buttercup had risen as well. "Oh crap…" Buttercup mumbled. "We're… we're alive!"

"Girls!" Utonium cried.

"Dad!" they zoomed into his arms, and he held them close, tears of happiness pouring from his eyes.

When Ray and Blossom parted, she noticed all the villains standing there, smiles upon their faces.

"Why are they all here?" Blossom asked.

"Blossom, they helped us. They helped save you, and the world!"

Mojo Jojo stepped forward and extended his hand. "I would just like to say that it brings joy to my heart seeing you alive and well."

Blossom hesitated, and then shook Mojo's hand. "Thank you, Mojo. Thank you all!"

Cheers rose from the crowd.

Blossom flew over to her sisters. "Bubbles? Buttercup? Ray?"

"Yes?"

"Let's go home."

THE END!!!

****

BENEDICTION: Oooh yeah! That was awesome! Wasn't it? I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'd appreciate your comments on it, as well. Keep a watch out for my next story, the sequel to my Pokemon story "Kissing Kris," which will be called "Loving Laura." If you want to chat, my AIM name is PAULY POINDEXTER. Until we meet again, farewell! *snaps fingers, and vanishes*


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